Aeroplane



G. H. ROBINSON.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11. 1919.

Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

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(Rim/14 Md G. H. ROBINSON.

AEROPLANEQ APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11, 1919.

1,366,025. .Patenmd Jan. 18,1921.

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2/ awmntoz UNITED STATES GEORGE E. ROBINSON,

PATENT ounce.

OF IDABEL, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO HARRY J. HALL, OF POPLAR BLUFF, MISSOURI.

AEROPLANE.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J n. 18, 1921.

Application filed June 11, 1919. Serial No. 303,327.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE H. ROBINSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Idabel, in the county of McCurtain and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes, of which the following is a specifi-' cation.

This invention relates to aeronautics, and more especially to safety devices; and its primary object is to provide means on an aeroplane or other aerial ship for launching a araohute in times of emergency.

he invention consists of manually operable means for dumping the aviator into the car of the parachute and automatically dlsengaging the car from its support.

The invention also consists in spring actuated means for ejecting the sail or top of the parachute, which meansa're actuated by the fall of the car thereof.

The invention also consists in detalls as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and as shown in the drawings.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an aeroplane equipped with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the rocking seat.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the aeroplane, showing the parts in pos tion at the moment the parachute is thrown from the machine.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the parachute descending.

Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged sectional v ews of the spring gun for ejecting the Still of the parachute and Fig. 7 is a perspective detail of the plunger thereof.

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view through the body of theaeroplane and the rocking seat.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail of the catch mechanism which prevents the seat from rocking or tilting to dump the occupant.

Fig. 10 is a detail view of parts shown in Fi 9.

I will say at starting that no details of the aeroplane or air craft are necessary in connection with this invention exceptlngas described below, and I do not wish to be limited in this respect. In fact, while I have shown my invention as applied to a biplane, it might of course be attached to a car raised by a gas bag, so long as the body of the car had a seat which could be mounted on a pivot as described herein. Also I have set forth and illustrated my invention as applied to a two-seated machine, whereof the cadet 1s supposed to occupy the front seat and the teacher or instructor the rear seat. In this case it is only the front seat which is hinged so it will tilt and means within reach of the instructor are provided whereby it can be unlatched and tilted to drop the cadet in order to give him practice. It will be clear that my invention could be applied to both seats and tripped by the occupant of either, the car of the parachute underlying both seats so as to receive both men and convey them to safety. The primary object of the invention is to mount the car of the parachute directly beneath the operators seat, and in fact on guides carried by the seat itself from which it slips when the seat tilts and the guides tilt; and also to mount the sail or top of the parachute within a spring gun or other ejector which is actuated by draft on a rope, pulled by the falling car. The seat lwithin the body of the aeroplane is shown as supported on a shaft 2 which is journaled in the sides of the body and the position of the shaft is such that the seat would tilt forward and dum the operator if it were not prevented. Upstanding from one end of the shaft is an arm 3 connected by links 4; with levers 5 whose handles are near the o erators so that they may tilt the seat if it oes not act freely by itself. The arm is also connected by a rod 6 with a movable element or dog 7 whose nose'8 engages under a fixed hook 9 when the dog is drawn to the rear and the seat is in itsnormal, position. This dog moves over a guide 10, whereon it may slide or above which it may turn by means of twin links 11 as shown in Fig. 9, and pivoted to the dog is a catch 12 whose front end is free and adapted to. drop into engagement with a stop 13 on the guide 10 when the dog 1s retracted. A trip lever 15 pivoted to the body of the aeroplane (in the present illustration convenient to the instructor) is connected by v fingers stand horizontal the car is retained thereon without the necessity for extraneous means. But when the seat tilts, it is obvious that the eyes will slide down the fingers and the car drop as indicated in Fi 3. I The sail 23 of the parachute will be cc lapsed beneath the body of the machine as seen in Fig. 1 and will carry an e e or ring 24 at its apex removably engage with the tongue 25 of a gun orprojector best shown in Figs. 5 and 6. As here illustrated a stout coiled spring 26 is mounted within a barrel 27 whose lower side constitutes'the tongue, and is capable of being compressed by means of a plunger 28 from which a rod 29 leads through the spring to an eye 30, to which latter is connected one end of a-lever 31 pivoted at 32 on a suitable support within the body of the aeroplane. It is to be understood that this spring ejector is put under tension before the machine leaves the ground,

and therefore this lever need not be within reach of the pilot and isnot shown in Fig. 1.

From the eye 30 a rod 33 leads downward and forward and is upturned at 34 into a latch engaging a notch 35 in the tongue 25, and a rope'or cord 36 leads from this latch to the car 22 of the parachute as shown.

When the spring is put under tension as illustrated in Fig. 6, the'latch 34 is pressed upward into the notch 35 to retain such tension. Now the rin or eye 24 at the top of the parachute is slid over the tip of the tongue 25' and against the plunger 28, and thereafter whenever the cord or rope 36 is drawn upon suddenly the latch 34 is disengaged from the notch and the spring gun shoots the top of the parachute clear from the aircraft as seen in Fig. 3. If now care is taken that the rope 36 is adjusted to proper length that the weight of the falling car 22 will give a jerk to the rope before the parachute turns out and weight is thrown onto its ring 24, it will be obvious that tie s above suggested, the tilting seat may be that of the forward operator, actuated by the rearward, or otherwise, and considerable latitude in this respect will be permitted. The foregoing description and the drawings have reference to what may be considered the preferred, or approved form of my invention. It is to be understood that I may make such changes in construction and arrangement and combination of parts, ma-

terials, dimensions,'et cetera, as may prove expedient and fall within the scope of the ap ended claims.

laving thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an aeroplane, the combination with a seat adapted to tilt forward, the floor of the aeroplane body being omitted beneath said seat, and forwardly projecting fingers carried by said seat; of a parachute whose car has eyes slidably mounted on said fingers and whose sail has a ring, a'tongue at the front end of the aircraft sustaining said ring, and latch mechanism for retaining the seat against tilting.

2. In an aeroplane, the combination with a seat adapted to tilt forward, the floor of the aeroplane body being omitted beneath said seat, and forwardly projecting fingers carried by said seat; of a parachute whose car has eyes slidably mounted on said fingers and whose sail has a ring, a tongue at the front end of the aircraft sustaining said ring, an arm connected with said seat and moving forward as the seat tilts, a dog connected with the arm, a guide on which said dog moves, a catch for preventing its movement, and manually operable means for releasing said catch.

3. In an aeroplane, the combination with a seat adapted totilt forward, the floor of the aeroplane body being omitted beneath said seat, and forwardly projecting fingers carried by said seat; of a parachute whose car has eyes slidably mounted on said fingers and whose sail has a ring, a tongue at the front end of the aircraft sustaining said ring, an arm connected with said seat and moving forward as the seat tilts, a do" connected with the arm, a guide on whici said dog moves, a catch for preventing its movement, the cat :11 being pivoted to the dog and with its free end adapted to engage a stop when theseat stands at normal, a finger for raising the catch, and a hand lever connected with said finger, as described.

4. In an aeroplane, a tilting seat, the bottom of the plane being omitted beneath the seat, forwardly projecting fingers carried by the seat and standing below the body of the plane, and manually operable mechanism for latching the seat against tilting; combined with a parachute whose car has eyes slidably mounted on said fingers and whose sail has a ring at its top, an ejector carried by the aircraft and with which said ring is engaged when the eyes rest on the fingers, and means for tripping said ejector by the fall of the car.

5. In an aeroplane, a tilting seat, the bottom of the plane being omitted beneath the seat, forwardly projecting fingers carried by the seat and standing below, the body of the plane, and manually operable mechanism for latching theseat against tilting;

combined with a parachute whose car has eyes slidably tndunted on said fingers and whose sail'has a ring at'its top, an ejector carried by the aircraft andwith which said ring is engaged when the eyes rest on the fingers, latch mechanism for preventing the action of the ejector, and a rope leading from said latch to the car of the parachute for tripping the latch mechanism and permitting the ejector to act as the car falls from said fingers.

6. In an aeroplane, the combination with a seat adapted to tilt forward, the bottom of the body being omitted beneath said seat,

land manually operable mechanism for preventing such tilting; of an ejector carried by the aircraft forward of such seat, latch mechanism for preventing its action, a parachute whose sail is provided with a ring at its apex adapted to be shot forward by the action of said ejector, 'means detachably connecting the parachute car with said seat so as to permit their disengagement when the seat tilts, and means for actuating said ejector'by the fall of said car.

7. In an aeroplane, the combination with a movable support for the pilot, a finger carried by said support, a parachute having an eye slidably mounted on said finger and adapted to disengage the same when the support is moved,rand a ring at the top of the sail of the parachute; of a spring gun carried by the aircraft forward of said pilots support and having a tongue with which said ring is adapted to be engaged when the gun is set, and mechanism for tripping the gun connected with the car of said parachute, as described.

8. In an aeroplane, the combination with a movable support for the pilot, a finger carried by said support, a parachute having an eye slidably mounted on said finger and adapted to disengage the same when the support is moved, and a ring at the top of the sail of the parachute; of a spring gun a connected with the car of the carried by the aircraft forward, of said pilots support and having a tongue with which said ring is adapted to be engaged 'when the gun is set, a rod connected with the plunger of said gun and having a latch leasing it therefrom when said seat tilts,

and manually operable means for preventlng such tilting; of an ejector carried by the aircraft and with which the top of the sail ofthe parachute is connected, and means for actuating said ejector, such means-being parachute and actuated by its descent.

10. In a safety device for aircraft, the combination with a seat, a parachute, means for supporting the car of the parachute on the seat and automatically releasing therefrom when the position of said seat is changed, manually operable means for bolding said seat in a set position against movement, and ejector means carried by the aircraft for actuating the parachute and releasing the same from said aircraft.

11. In combination with fuselage of an aeroplane, a car to receive the occupant, of a parachute carried by the car, a seat releasably securing said car to the fuselage of an aeroplane, and releasable by said seat,

and ejector means for releasing the parachute from the fuselage of the aeroplane.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JENNIE H. ROBINSON, GEORGP'JA M. ROBINSON. 

